Thread by @gobuxgal

Ohio @MomsDemand are in the room for this senate hearing on HB99. It was passed by the House last November on party lines. This bill will increase the risk to students & teachers by allowing guns in classrooms w just 2 hours of live training! #SRO #Enough

Senate Veterans & Public Safety: Chair Frank Hoagland,
Vice @DrTerryAJohnson Ranking @CecilThomasOH @teresa_fedor @bobdhackett @senbobpeterson @SteveWilsonOH testimony will be limited to 3 mins “in the interest of time.” /2

Chair Hoagland brought forth a last minute amendment to the bill bringing training total to 24 hours (it was 22). @teresa_fedor & @cecilthomas vote against the amendment and it passed by Republican members.

1st to testify is Rob Sexton w lobby Buckeye Firearms. He testifies programs that were already in place in Ohio school districts were “ disrupted”. (Current legal requirement is 700+ hours of training) Rob further supports using for profit training via BF to train teachers /4

Chair asks anyone who is not testifying to go to the overflow room Ohioans & @MomsDemand showed up in droves. @CecilThomasOH brings up the objection to for profit training and need for EXTENSIVE training. /5

Derek Burtch, a teacher #HonestyForOhioEducation is strongly opposed to reducing training for armed teachers as an educator who practices drills and knows how harmful gun violence is to student & teacher mental health./6

Tracy Najera @ Children’s Defense Fund points out that data doesn’t support arming teachers w less training and that 70% of parents & students and 80% of TEACHERS oppose this bill. /7

Shari Obrenski @OFTadvocate & Pres of CLE teachers speaks for one of the 2 largest teachers organizations in opposition. “Teachers aren’t trusted to make decisions about curriculum but we’re supposed to be trusted w a gun”? 🎯 /8

Scott DiMauro Worthington educator and @OhioEA Pres represents 120K OH teachers who oppose this dangerous bill. Minimum training standard (24 total hrs)is insufficient and re: Rural v urban, just bc it’s a “culture” doesn’t mean it keeps schools safer. /9

DiMauro continues to point out in response to @CecilThomasOH that safe schools do not exist in a vacuum. “Safe schools come from safe communities.” We agree. #CommonSenseGunLaws are what we need! /10

Elizabeth Overmier w @bradybuzz @BradyOhio and a teacher w 20+ yrs teaching experience. Spoke in opposition about the impacts of gun violence in schools. “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children” Nelson Mandela /11

Connie Griffs, @MomsDemand member & MED school counseling in Madison Co, where this all begin,advocate passionately that no amt of training will make teachers effective @ solving this. Majority of shooters are current/former students- teachers are likely to face them. /12

Todd Sautters, Canal Winchester teacher, shares a personal story about a 2012 shooting where he taught in MD while a SRO was present. Teachers have to complete years of training to become teachers. This law requires just 24 hrs. /13

Ben Adams is a Butler Co.parent & first responder who responded @ the Madison School shooting that started this bill. He had 120 hrs in firefighting & 1800 hrs to become a paramedic. Putting ppl
w/o training in high stress situations is DANGEROUS! /14

Marc Cody is a Columbus resident who points out increased risk for guns in schools. He opposes HB99 bc negligence is likely when insufficiently trained staff have guns at hand at all times in school. This comm is at odds w risk being pointed out by public. /15

@fierceadvo tells the Comm they’ve infringed on her right to testify by last minute amendment today that nobody saw. Questions lack of yearly training, psych eval! or background checks for school carry missing from this bill & amendment. 🔥/16

@4_gunsafety Doug Rogers opposes the bill on it’s dangerous vagueness. This bill does not even specify when teachers can shoot these guns. And HB 99 disregards @OPOTA standards! Insane. /17

Katherine Hiland, 16 yo school shooting survivor @ Jackson SD told her story about the impact of school tragedy & opposes putting more guns in school. Says student mental health must be prioritized. @teresa_fedor asks if she supports banning assault weapons? She does. /18

Julia Elkus @MomsDemand vol says “we have this backwards.” Says we need to put time & effort upstream to address gun violence in school. No teacher will stop an AR15 with a gun after just 2 hrs live training. /19

.@kwoodworth is reading for @SaraDemuch who is with her students today. She shares Sara’s harrowing story about supporting Special Ed students in drills and the dangers of gun violence. “If a shooter has entered the building, we’ve already failed.” /19

@kwoodworth @MomsDemand lead also points out late notice & Monday posting of this hearing and yet 150 opponent testimonies are in the room. They cannot silence our voices for gun safety. 90% of Ohioans support gun safety. /20

Marcia Miller @MomsDemand vol is also a gun violence survivor🧡
She points out the extreme risks for students & teachers when guns are in the building and mishandled. Student mental health should be priority. /21

Erin Gabbard speaks about the 2016 incident that lead her school board to arm teachers in Butler Co. Erin sued the Madison district & won in OHSC! She opposes this bill. How will teachers w guns be selected,vetted, trained & supervised? #GunSafety /22

Dorothea Bouquet, school board member & mother of an autistic student who will need help should they have to escape a shooter. How will teachers manage students & their gun? Insurance costs to districts to allow guns must be considered. /23

Jennifer Adams, a mom of 5 and constituent @RepThomasHall shared her opposition to HB99and her experience in a community rocked by gun violence. She is concerned for her children’s safety. Her son trained 26 hrs just for his PT job. /23

Ann Shroyer @MomsDemand vol reminds comm. most shooters are current & former students & this is what armed teachers face. Ann shares incidents of gun mishandling in schools. “If anything other than a gun had fallen out of his pants, it would have been all over the news!” 🔥/23

Laura Kowalcyk, a 19 yo student @ Wellesley speaks about college students who have grown up facing gun violence in their schools . She suggests real solutions to the issue like secure storage and anti-bullying. /24

Eoghan Gallagher, a gun owner and parent opposes HB99. He feels while the intent is to protect students, “we’re barking up the wrong tree”. Guns in school & negligence bring more risk than safety. @shannong617 /25

Mandy Rothgerber is tired. She’s tired of the gun violence & white supremacy that Americans suffer bc republicans ignore their constituents. She shares her HS daughter’s opposition (PG)
Then calls them out for whispering to each other while she testifies. “LISTEN TO US!” 🔥 /26

Oops
Somehow I ended up with 3
/23 tweets 🙄

@LauraforTexas @MomsDemand vol “with every one of these deaths we lose.” 22 hours of training will not stop a weapon of war. Why not pass gun safety?: HB38, SB 73, SB74, SB75, SB 76, SB77……#CommonSenseGunLaws
/27

Andrea Kovesdi “Why do our kids have to have a fighting chance FOR THEIR LIVES ?” /28

Janie Halaiko is retired admin & teacher w 35 yrs experience. “Ohio can do better than this!” Allow teachers to do what they’re trained to do-TEACH! /29

Pat Krummich @MomsDemand vol & gun violence survivor 🧡 who lost her 15 yo daughter. “This bill is not ready.”
True. They’re rushing it through before the legislature goes on break. /29

/30 🙄

Mike Halaiko is a ret teacher, admin & coach who opposes HB 99 points out the issue is not metal illness, it’s access to guns. /31

Betsy Mitchell is a teacher educator & trainer but also a competitive shooter & instructor who opposes HB99. “What is this bill going to solve?” “Where is going to solve real problems or create more?” /32

Cathi Kulik is a ret. public educator and @MomsDemand education lead. She asked what experts did they consult to write this bill? Cathi asked why they had no questions for the teacher & gun violence survivor who testified today? She spoke to real solutions for students. /33

Mike W @ FOP opposes this bill as inadequate. School staff have different backgrounds bill doesn’t address. Vagueness of “alternative training instructor.” Safeguards missing. SRO have 60+ hrs of largely live training. This bill uses /34

private training not @OPOTA “You’re bringing in a gun that can be used against you.” /35

USMC 💜D.T. (they didn’t put his name up) urges Sen Veterans & Public Safety to pass HB99. Has been advocating for this in other versions of the bill. Says we need to arm schools to protect students & teachers so it can’t happen here! He’s got harden the target mindset. /36

He’s just the second proponent today and final testimony. Argues with @CecilThomasOH. Ironically this pro gun advocate initials are DT. Why do we feel he’s the final & ONLY one the OH GOP Sens listened to?
/37

Sen @teresa_fedor proposes an amendment. It is tabled.
She uses one of my favorites “ you can’t put lipstick on this pig”🐷@DrTerryAJohnson amendment for annual criminal background check. @cecilthomas proposes adding mental health ✔️ denied.
Johnson’s amendment passed by GOP/38

@CecilThomasOH strongly opposes sending HB 99 to rules and reference to prepare for a vote on the floor bc it is vague, dangerous and rushed through to vote. 👏👏
/39

HB99 moves to rules on party lines. ONCE AGAIN @OHRGOPCaucus @OhioSenateGOP shamelessly exert their gerrymandered power to pass a gun bill opposed by majority of Ohioans, law enforcement & even teachers. Made possible by RIGGED MAPS! This is not democracy, /40 @EqualDistricts

@edurita

He’s Dinero Ciardelli, President (undisclosed) of S.T.A.R.T. Security Services where Sen Hoagland is CEO. 1 of 2 proponents for guns in schools w/o adequate training.
Ohio: 1 in corruption. @karenkasler @joingles @DC_DeWitt @jbalmert @jpelzer @Tylerjoelb @TracyT10TV @MorganTrau

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